The present invention relates to skateboards and more specifically to one comprising an elongated blank or board and a pair of trucks at opposite ends of the board each supporting a pair of wheels. Each truck is braced directly to the board by means of a hanger plate secured to the board and comprises a tensile elastic suspension section and a pivot support.
As is typical in conventional skateboards, the path of travel of the front and rear wheels and thereby the direction of the skateboard are controlled by the rider's shifting of weight. The skateboard is also at the same time accelerated by weight shifts. Conventional trucks of known design are usually made of a solid, one-piece metallic casting or the like which have the disadvantage of adding weight to the assembly and also are comparatively expensive to manufacture. In these prior skateboard designs, the pivot support for the truck is usually formed by a cylindrically-shaped part which mates with a bore suitably lined with a bearing material, such as plastic, mounted in a hanger plate and is supported in this position by a spherical frontal surface. By this arrangement the truck can only rotate about an axis determined by the shaft of the cylindrical part and this tends to restrict the free adjustability of the wheels. Additionally it has been found that a substantial expenditure of energy is required to steer and accelerate the skateboard. Furthermore in these known skateboard designs, the elastic action bushings are secured by nuts and lock washers which necessitates an inconvenient and time consuming initial tightening adjustment.
With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved skateboard assembly characterized by novel features of construction and arrangement providing improved steering action of the axles relative to the board and wherein the energy for steering and accelerating the skateboard is substantially reduced.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved skateboard design incorporating a novel mounting arrangement for the elastic action bushings providing adjustability of the tension thereof in a more simplified, easier and trouble-free manner.